Your First Laser Skin Resurfacing Appointment: What to Expect
Your first session for laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, MI, puts you on the path of enhanced skin appearance and improved skin health. Getting to that point requires conversation, education, and dedication to your self-investment.

Schedule a complimentary consultation to explore your options and clarify your goals while talking to a Tri-County Medical Clinic physician. Read on to learn what you can expect for the treatment process, and for your results.

Find the Information You Want

Understanding the Basic Process

Tri-County Medical Clinic’s simple 3-step process creates the foundational relationship between you and our team. This personalized partnership helps us understand your goals, and helps you understand the path to achieve them.

First Up: The Complimentary Consultation

When you come to Tri-County Medical Clinic, your journey to improved skin health and appearance starts with a complimentary cosmetic consultation.

This conversation with our cosmetic physician, Dr. Kenneth Wolok, helps you drill down on what your concerns are, and the goals you wish to accomplish with treatment. It’s an open, honest discussion with an actual doctor.

We’ll also go over what you can expect during and after the procedure. You can ask all the questions you need to. There’s no time limit, and we’re happy to answer everything so you feel confident moving forward.

It’s Treatment Time

During your IPL treatment or laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, MI, the treatment proceeds with custom-tailored precision. This includes application of topical anesthetics as needed, and supplying the appropriate protective gear before commencing.

Your provider will communicate with you during the entire process, helping you remain comfortable and safe.

When the Session Ends

Following your laser procedure, we’ll discuss the appropriate aftercare methods. You’ll understand the things you should and shouldn’t do in the days following your appointment to fully support healing during the dermal regeneration phase.

For light-based treatments, we often recommend adding a topical exosome treatment. Exosomes stimulate cellular repair and regeneration for faster healing, reducing recovery time while enhancing your results.

Why Patients Choose Light-Based Therapies

Patients who undergo laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, MI, generally have 1 or more of the following concerns they wish to address.

Visible Signs of Aging

Because collagen and elastin production slows as people age, the structure of and support for skin changes, especially in the face.

Patients often choose laser skin tightening to:

Reduce lines and wrinkles, including crow’s feet and smoker’s lines
Tighten skin by boosting collagen production
Treat static wrinkles that Botox can’t address

Skin Texture and Scarring

CO2 laser resurfacing can help skin look smoother, addressing concerns that affect patient confidence and self-esteem.

These concerns include:

Acne scarring, including atrophic and hypertrophic scars.
Enlarged pores that make skin texture uneven and harbor acne-causing bacteria
Sun-damaged rough patches of skin

Tone and Pigment Inconsistencies

Michigan’s sun exposure can cause a significant amount of photoaging to skin, even if it’s not one of the “sunshine” states. Our laser treatments and intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment, address those years of UV light for a more even, brighter tone and complexion.

We can help correct:

Sun/age spots
Redness/rosacea
Dullness from dead surface cells

Prejuvenation Efforts

Patients in their 20s and 30s employ fractional laser treatment as a preventative skin rejuvenation measure, aka “prejuvenation.” These treatments can help prevent the signs of aging before they become deeper.

Lasers and Light for Better Skin

Our advanced intense pulsed light and laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, MI, provides prime choices for skin rejuvenation.

CO2 Cool Peel Laser

CoolPeel CO2 fractional resurfacing treatment uses a Smartxide Tetra CO2 laser to create tiny, controlled injuries to the epidermis and superficial dermis.

Your Tri-County Medical Clinic provider easily adjusts the power and fractional laser patterns, tailoring it to the skin’s individual condition as well as the patient’s expected maintenance and lifestyle.

Because CoolPeel CO2 eliminates the excess heat that traditional CO2 lasers can create, patients experience significantly reduced downtime. Improvements appear over time, gradually addressing the depth of acne scarring and wrinkles, as well as reducing pore size and helping to even skin tone and texture.

Helix Laser: Upgraded Abilities

Helix is the upgraded version of the CoolPeel CO2 laser. It allows for synchronized CO2 and 1570nm wavelengths for ablative and non-ablative benefits.

As a flexible, personalized treatment, we can administer the Helix energies separately or simultaneously.

CO2 Ablation

The CO2 laser treats external and internal skin structures by causing controlled, minor injuries within the skin. This triggers your body’s natural healing process, causing the top layer of dull, damaged skin to peel off. A fresh layer of skin is now visible, with more even tone and texture. Over time, cells increase collagen production which increases skin quality, firmness, and volume.

1570nm Collagen Induction

The non-ablative 1570nm wavelength treats tissue beneath the skin without affecting the outer layer. Like CO2 laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, it stimulates natural healing to remodel the collagen matrix that supports your skin’s appearance and tightness.

However, instead of creating microinjuries, Helix’s non-ablative energy uses deeper heating to double-down on the collagen induction phase for even better longer-term improvements.

Lumecca IPL

Though not technically a laser, our Lumecca IPL photofacial system uses short bursts of intense pulsed light to treat pigmentation concerns, including in small facial veins and capillaries.

During an IPL session, we apply multiple pulses of light to the treatment area. This disperses excess brown and red pigment while coagulating the blood within small, visible facial veins.

Brown pigmented lesions temporarily darken and then flake off within a few days. The tiny blood vessels partly or completely close up, eventually blanching and disappearing over the next few days.

Pre- and Post-Treatment Tips for Light-Based Therapies

When having IPL or laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, MI, Tri-County Medical Clinic recommends patients do the following to prepare for their treatments, and to get the most from them.

Pre-Treatment Tips

Stop taking retinol for 3 to 7 days, because it increases photosensitivity.
Refrain from using chemical exfoliants to avoid skin irritation.
No tanning booths or extensive sun exposure for 10 to 14 days.
Focus on staying hydrated, including gentle hydrating moisturizers.
Avoid Botox or filler injections for at least 2 weeks before.
Refrain from smoking, and limit alcohol consumption, for 5 to 7 days (to improve healing).

Post-Treatment Tips

Do not pick at or scratch peeling skin, as this could cause scarring.
Gently clean the treatment area 2 to 5 times a day with water or a mile cleanser and non-abrasive cloths or scrubs.
Apply the recommended type and amount of healing ointment after every cleansing.
Apply cold compresses as needed for comfort and to reduce swelling.
Stay out of direct sunlight, even if cloudy—and use mineral-based SPF 30+ sunscreen.
Avoid heavy sweating, including from exercise, saunas, and hot tubs for 7 days.

Tri-County Medical Clinic offers purchasable aftercare kits specifically created to support your skin post-treatment.

FAQs about Laser Skin Resurfacing

Near Royal Oak, we get quite a few questions in-person and through our online contact form about laser skin rejuvenation. We enjoy helping patients fully understand their options so that they can make informed decisions about their care.

Does laser skin resurfacing hurt?

Discomfort during laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, MI, varies from patient to patient. We apply a medical-grade topical numbing cream for 45 minutes to 1 hour before treatment, and we have a chiller available during the session to help decrease discomfort. We can also adjust the intensity of the laser. Most of our patients tolerate the treatment very well.

Can I get resurfacing treatment on the same day as my consultation?

No, we don’t do laser skin resurfacing on the same day as the initial consultation. This is because patients come in an hour before the procedure for the topical numbing.

Where can I find “lunchtime” laser treatments near me?

For lunchtime light-based skin rejuvenation, we recommend Lumecca IPL. It doesn’t require the preparatory time for topical numbing cream to take effect, nor will it require any skin flaking or peeling.

Another popular lunchtime laser treatment is with the CoolPeel CO2 laser. The available cooling system reduces or eliminates the need for topical numbing cream for a number of our patients.

How long does laser skin resurfacing last?

How long laser skin resurfacing lasts varies from patient to patient. It depends on a number of different factors, including:

Dept of resurfacing
Patient metabolism
Skincare regimen
Lifestyle choices
Exposure to environmental factors
Treatment maintenance schedule

The results can last from several months to years. Your provider will help determine a maintenance treatment plan that best supports your positive results.

Now That You Know, Schedule a Consultation

You know what to expect from your first laser skin resurfacing near Royal Oak, MI. Schedule your complementary consultation at Tri-County Medical Clinic to design a treatment plan that gives you the results you want for the confidence you deserve.

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Your First Laser Skin Resurfacing Appointment: What to Expect